Not sure exactly when it was, but at some point during the Flyers’ perplexing 1-6 stretch to finish Nov. and start Dec., it became clear that the question wasn’t if coach John Stevens was going to be fired, but when.

Coming off a dreadful 3-0 loss to the Canucks on Thursday night and being held scoreless through eight consecutive periods, the shoe has finally dropped on the three-year coach of the Orange and Black. On Friday evening, the Flyers announced that Stevens has been relieved of coaching duties and will be replaced on an interim basis by Craig Berube until a more permanent coach can be acquired.

A press conference will be held at 8 P.M. and televised on Comcast SportsNet.

Stevens was hired as coach of the Flyers in October of 2006, after Ken Hitchcock was fired due to a poor start to the season. Stevens, who coached the likes of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to a Calder Cup championship in 2005, was brought in to cultivate the younger talent.

However, as the talent got older, Stevens failed to take them to the next level. Despite leading them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008, the Flyers have been inconsistent and have been criticized by general manager Paul Holmgren as lifeless.

About

Ryan Bright (Philabright@gmail.com) is a sports writer, born and raised in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of West Chester University, he has been with the Daily Local News in Chester County since early 2007, working as the paper's college and high school ice hockey beat writer. In 2010, began as a contributer for CSNPhilly.com, covering the Flyers and the Philadelphia Union.

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